Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: What you need to know

By Kara Yorio

staff writer |

The Record

WHEN: 9 a.m. to noon Thursday.

Snoopy floats above the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

VIEWING AREAS: Areas from 34th to 38th Street and in Herald Square are severely limited by the television broadcast, and attempt­ing to view the parade from there is not recommended. Here are the best places to find a spot:

Central Park West from 75th to 59th Street (FYI: People start finding spots on this part of the route around 6 a.m.)

Central Park South from Columbus Circle to Sixth Avenue

Sixth Avenue from Central Park South to 38th Street

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012 is a free app for Android and iOS devices that offers extra infor­mation for those at the parade and watching on TV. One of the more interesting features uses traffic cameras to allow users to watch the parade in real-time on their mobile device.

ALSO APPEARING: Mannheim Steamroller, The Muppets and the “Sesame Street” cast, Kidz Bop and the gold-medal winning “Fierce Five” women’s gymnastics team from the 2012 London Games – Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jor­dyn Wieber

BROADWAY IN HERALD SQUARE: TV viewers will get to see num­bers from current Broadway shows “Annie,” “Bring it On,” “Cinderella,” “Elf” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”

THANKSGIVING EVE: If a trip into the city on Thanksgiving morning isn’t appealing, consid­er heading to Central Park on Wednesday to watch the bal­loons get inflated from 3 to 10 p.m. Enter the special balloon inflation areas surrounding the Museum of Natural History at 79th Street and Columbus Av­enue.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: What you need to know

VIEWING AREAS: Areas from 34th to 38th Street and in Herald Square are severely limited by the television broadcast, and attempt­ing to view the parade from there is not recommended. Here are the best places to find a spot:

Central Park West from 75th to 59th Street (FYI: People start finding spots on this part of the route around 6 a.m.)

Central Park South from Columbus Circle to Sixth Avenue

Sixth Avenue from Central Park South to 38th Street

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012 is a free app for Android and iOS devices that offers extra infor­mation for those at the parade and watching on TV. One of the more interesting features uses traffic cameras to allow users to watch the parade in real-time on their mobile device.

ALSO APPEARING: Mannheim Steamroller, The Muppets and the “Sesame Street” cast, Kidz Bop and the gold-medal winning “Fierce Five” women’s gymnastics team from the 2012 London Games – Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jor­dyn Wieber

BROADWAY IN HERALD SQUARE: TV viewers will get to see num­bers from current Broadway shows “Annie,” “Bring it On,” “Cinderella,” “Elf” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”

THANKSGIVING EVE: If a trip into the city on Thanksgiving morning isn’t appealing, consid­er heading to Central Park on Wednesday to watch the bal­loons get inflated from 3 to 10 p.m. Enter the special balloon inflation areas surrounding the Museum of Natural History at 79th Street and Columbus Av­enue.